


Only a Day

by starlalalala



Series: no dawn [5]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Angst, Dark God Ryan, Gen, Mind Control, Possession, Sky Factory AU, relationships are implied
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-11
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2019-03-16 15:56:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13639494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starlalalala/pseuds/starlalalala
Summary: Ryan had almost forgotten what it felt like to have a chance.





	Only a Day

**Author's Note:**

> Title from 'Monsters' by Electric President.
> 
> Please read the previous parts of the series first <3

Ryan ran.

The light of the redstone torch Jeremy had ripped from the wall flickered in front of him. The light guided Ryan in the dark of the tunnel, gave him something to focus on.

Desperation fuelled his steps, born from hope he couldn’t quite ignore. Hope that this could be _fixed,_ that Gavin could be saved. His heart beat so fast he felt nauseous. He swore he felt it vibrating through the stone under his feet with every step. A stray piece of obsidian nearly sent Ryan flying forward, but he recovered. He didn’t have time to fall.

Despite his much shorter stride, Jeremy had a head start and refused to slow down. This was the risky part of their plan. If the Dark God forced Jack, Michael, and Lindsay back to the castle before they arrived, they wouldn’t have enough people to activate the banishing ritual.

They were lucky the Dark God hadn’t even looked for their escape route. He’d just found Jack and Michael missing, and then turned to Ryan with that awful smile. The Dark God had kept up his cheerful tone, but Ryan knew the rage he hid. Ryan had felt it himself, after all. 

_“We’re all going to have a talk.”_

He could hear Geoff behind him. Ryan didn’t need to look to feel a little comforted by his presence. Maybe it was silly, since Geoff knew little of summoning or banishing, and he was no more able to stand up to a god than the rest of them. But between Geoff’s footsteps behind him and Jeremy’s silhouette ahead, it felt like they had a chance.

A slim chance. But more than he had believed possible.

Ryan was just catching up to Jeremy when he saw it. The literal light at the end of the tunnel.

Their home was in view.

They slowed down as they approached, the sound of their own breathing amplified and echoing in the closed space. The silence ahead was more ominous than any scream could’ve been.

_We should stay down here._

A stupid thought, one that Ryan knew would never fix anything, but if this moment could last forever they could always have hope. That Michael, Jack, and Lindsay were waiting for them on the surface. That their trap had worked. That things could return to the way they were. The second they climbed up they were vulnerable to whatever reality awaited them on the surface.

Geoff stepped forward, and the moment was lost. Ryan forced himself to follow.

They crept out of the tunnel one by one, doing their best to maintain the silence. The tunnel came up under Geoff’s farm, by the redwood –the only place where the ground was deep enough to sustain a tunnel. The Dark God had greatly expanded the floating land mass they called home when he had arrived, connecting it to his creations and spreading it to distant lands. If nothing else, it was useful to them now.

Geoff’s farm was a mess. The grass was wilted and with no one to clean up after the chickens, the stench hit them all like a physical blow. And it was _dark_ , dark clouds stretching beyond the horizon, no torches in sight. And yet, no mobs had spawned. The Dark God wouldn’t let anything exist here without his permission.

Ryan had to admit, he wasn’t all that familiar with Geoff’s farm, but there were definitely less chickens then there had been. There were still dozens, though, and they swarmed Geoff as soon as the three of them were through the gate. Geoff immediately hushed them, speaking soothing words that Ryan was pretty sure the chickens shouldn’t be able to understand, but settled them all the same.

“We need to keep moving,” Jeremy urged. His voice was barely above a whisper. The Dark God couldn’t possibly hear them, and they still acted as though he lurked in every shadow.

Geoff looked over his wrecked farm and nodded, jaw clenched.

“Lindsay said she made the sigil where Michael summoned Gaia,” Ryan offered quietly. It was all he could think to say. They all knew but he needed to justify his presence _somehow_.

The other two nodded anyway, and a swarm of chickens began to follow Geoff around until he shooed them off, wary of attracting too much attention. There wasn’t much cover on the way apart from a few fences and the forest of mystery, which had never truly recovered from the attack of the munchdew. That had been months ago. It felt like years.

The sparse trees still provided enough cover, both for them and whatever was going on at the summoning field. The trunks were withering away, but some leaves still stubbornly clung to their branches as if to offer as much protection as they could. As the three of them clambered over the old fence, the silence was finally broken.

A voice. They couldn’t make out what it said, but it was unmistakeably the Dark God. Ryan exchanged a glance with Jeremy, saw his own fear mirrored there, along with far more determination than he’d been able to summon. It was Geoff who moved forward, pressed his body against one of the trees and peeked around it. Ryan watched as his hands clenched against the bark, and forced himself to look.

The Dark God was there, in the centre of the circle, his back towards them –he hadn’t noticed their trap. Michael stood still in front of him. Ryan wasn’t sure if he was being held by the Dark God’s power or waiting for the end of his rant. Knowing Michael, it was almost certainly the former.

But it seemed the Dark God had kept to his deal. Michael had his attention without being harmed. It was what they needed.

As far as Ryan could tell, the pillars had been constructed correctly. The glowstone pattern in the ground had been hidden by a layer of leaves and dirt, which explained why there were so few leaves beneath their feet. He could just barely make out Jack hidden behind one pillar. His form seemed to radiate tension even from so far away.

Lindsay was nowhere in sight, but that could just mean she was hiding elsewhere. She definitely wasn’t behind the two pillars closest to the forest, though, and that meant those were the two they needed to reach.

Ryan really wished he knew how to repeat that invisibility trick.

Jack turned to face their direction and Jeremy leaned out of cover to wave at him, ignoring Ryan’s panicked hiss. Jack waved back, gesturing them to the two pillars on their end of the field. Jeremy nodded. With a quick glance, the three of them were ready.

One was a short distance from the cover of the trees, no risk of being caught unless the Dark God looked around. Not likely. His attention was entirely focused on Michael. The other was… riskier. Further away and almost in the Dark God’s line of sight.

With one last deep breath, they left the safety of the trees. In silent agreement, Geoff and Ryan guided Jeremy towards the safer path. Jeremy wasn’t impressed, but knew better than to argue, reaching his target in short, silent strides as Geoff and Ryan made their way towards the final pillar. Geoff took the lead, and Ryan wasn’t about to fight for the position. Any unnecessary sound might draw the Dark God’s attention.

The ritual space was large. Probably all that kept them from being heard. The Dark God’s words became clearer as they walked, and more and more Ryan couldn’t focus on his steps, instead watching the scene in the centre of the sigil.

“–for you to understand,” the Dark God said, agitated even behind the forced cheerfulness and horrific smile. “This is how my world is. You live in it, by my mercy, and you are free to enjoy the company of your friends and move through your wing of _my_ palace unimpeded. I can sympathise that this may be a difficult change, but you’ve had time to get used to it.”

Michael was silent. Ryan wasn’t sure he _could_ respond, but the Dark God exaggerated a sigh, moving his whole body with the motion. A quick glance to Geoff showed they were halfway to their goal. Geoff had pulled ahead a little more.

Ryan tuned the Dark God’s voice out. It was a distraction he couldn’t afford. He needed to keep his eyes ahead, avoid making any sound that would attract attention. The leaves covering the ritual marks were smart but made stealth that much more difficult. All that protected them was the Dark God’s focus on Michael. If he were to turn his head ever so slightly, they would be seen.

Geoff was far more confident in his steps than Ryan. Months spent in the farm and the forest without a jetpack had their benefit. Ryan tried to follow in his footprints, but Geoff still pulled ahead. Ryan was forced to slow his pace to avoid the leaves and branches.

Maybe it would be better if he just stopped. Only one of them needed to reach the pillar, and Geoff was clearly going to get there first. Ryan only increased the risk of getting them caught–

A whimper stopped them both in their tracks.

Michael was struggling. There was nothing he could do against the Dark God’s hold around his neck but hang on and try not to choke. Shadows gathered around his feet.

The air seemed colder, suddenly, and Ryan thought he saw Michael’s form shimmer, and shit, shit, he _knew_ what that was.

“I won’t hurt you,” the Dark God promised. “But if you can’t behave, you can’t stay here.”

The Dark God’s magic wouldn’t be reversed if he was banished. If Michael disappeared now there was a chance they’d _never find him again._ Ryan caught Geoff’s eyes and desperately shooed him over to the pillar, stealth wasn’t necessary now but for Ryan’s very, very vague plan to work Geoff needed to be hidden–

And Geoff listened, ran, crunching a couple of leaves on the way but the Dark God’s attention was focused elsewhere–

“Hey!”

–until Ryan forced it to him.

The teleportation spell faded.

The Dark God released Michael and he collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath. Ryan forced himself not to run over. Instead, he took calm, measured steps forward.

“It’s my fault,” Ryan said. He kept his eyes level with the Dark God’s. Gavin’s cloak billowed in the slight breeze, the light material exaggerating the Dark God’s figure as he turned towards Ryan and away from Michael.

“What is? You’ll have to be more specific, lovely Ryan,” the Dark God called, cheerful voice belying the taunt. He stood, waiting for Ryan in the centre of the ritual. Good.

Ryan swallowed. A dozen answers caught in his throat. Any answer would work –he told Michael to run, he told everyone not to trust the Dark God, he sent them away for his own reasons. He could see Michael behind the Dark God, but didn’t look at him. Didn’t do anything that might turn the Dark God’s attention back. Didn’t want to see Michael’s expression.

The Dark God tilted his head, opened his mouth to speak, another taunt on its way.

And then the darkness was cut apart by light.

Wind blew away the leaves surrounding them, leaving the sigil on the ground visible. He could see Jack, Jeremy, Lindsay, and Geoff beside their pillars, mere silhouettes as the light danced across Ryan’s vision. The wind threw dust and leaves and debris up around Ryan until his eyes stung with tears and all he could see was a blurry mess as the Dark God’s smile turned to a vicious snarl. He’d dropped the thin veneer of Gavin’s humanity. With eyes locked on Ryan, he reached back towards Michael.

The world faded to white. He barely felt the wind anymore, but it was all he could hear. Ryan could only make out the hazy forms of Michael and the Dark God. He stumbled forward, because the Dark God could still do _something_ before the ritual was complete–

“He’s gone!” the Dark God screamed. The wind seemed to carry the words around again and again until they were all Ryan could hear. “He’s gone, you’re too late, you _failed_ you ungrateful–”

The Dark God cut himself off with a choked cry that sounded far too much like Gavin, like Gavin in _pain_. Something black and frothing bubbled up between his lips and dribbled down his chin, splattered across the ground as he coughed it out. More and more of the oily substance spread across his face and that body would choke, would die without the Dark God, Ryan was suddenly _certain_ of it.

The wind whipped Gavin’s cloak into a frenzy, hiding the Dark God’s face then blowing away again so Ryan saw him in flashes – wide-eyed pain – gasps for breath – fury – fear.

Michael scrambled away and Ryan struggled forward. He dropped to his knees beside Michael when they met. They didn’t touch each other, didn’t hold each other against the wind and the light and the fury of a god. Just sat side by side as they watched the Dark God scream, the black substance coating his face and neck and shirt. Watched as the light faded and the Dark God gave one last, shuddering breath before collapsing. Watched as the wind disappeared and the cloak slowly drifted down to settle over the body.

Over Gavin’s body.

It took longer for Ryan to comprehend the sight than Michael. By the time Ryan realised it was over, Michael had left him behind. He crawled to Gavin’s side and spoke in a raspy, scratched voice that must have been the result of the Dark God’s grip, calling for Gavin.

Lindsay ran over, and Jack slowly, cautiously approached. Lindsay settled beside Michael, checked him over, pulled him way from Gavin just a bit. Ryan knew, distantly, that Jeremy and Geoff were around. It still jolted him when Jeremy’s hand rested on his shoulder. Geoff ruffled Ryan’s hair as he passed.

Michael slumped against Lindsay. Jack hesitated, and so it fell to Geoff to tug Gavin’s cloak to the side. He pulled him into his lap, cradled Gavin in his arms and stroked his hair. The marks on his face held stubbornly when Geoff tried to wipe them away.

Gavin didn’t wake up. He didn’t start talking, didn’t cry or celebrate or smile. But it was _Gavin_ , and his chest was rising and falling with every breath, and that was proof enough that the Dark God’s last words had been a desperate lie. That things could be okay again.

That was enough.

It had to be.

**Author's Note:**

> One more official part, and then I'll be working on some other stuff~
> 
> My tumblr's starlalalala.tumblr.com, where I talk about writing and ah.


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